The 2011 Green Room Awards, for excellence on the Melbourne stage for the period January 1st through to 31st December 2011, were announced at a ceremony this afternoon, Sunday 18th March, 2012, at The Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne.

Taking out the major awards were Ganesh Versus the Third Reich (Theatre - Companies), a controversial choice following the Hindu backlash, Save for Crying (Theatre - Independent), Of Mice and Men (Opera), Little Match Girl (Cabaret) andTaxi (Alternative & Hybrid). There was, however, no award for Best Musical, with the judges declining to nominate any production.

Malthouse Theatre was the biggest winner of the day with nine awards (eleven if you count body of work recipients Iain Grandage & Anna Cordingly who both worked on Malthouse shows.

In the Opera categories Opera Australia’s Of Mice and Men dominated, taking out five of the seven awards, from a totl of six for the company. In Cabaret Meow Meow’s Little Match Girl was the big winner, taking out four of the six categories. In the Theatre (Companies) categories, Malthouse productions won out four of the seven awards, with two design gongs awarded for the designers’ body of work (winner Ganesh Versus the Third Reich was a winner across two fields, taking out the Ensemble award in Alternative and Hybrid). Theatre (Independent) awards were spread across a number of productions, with Best Production, Save for Crying, receiving two awards, as well as being recognised with the association award for New Writing for the Australian Stage. These were among six awards for La Mama. Assembly (Chunky Move / Victorian Opera) led the awards in the Dance categories with two awards, while the Australian Ballet took out three awards across three different productions.

In the Music Theatre awards, in the absence of a Best Production award, Rock of Ages, with five awards, nudged out Love Never Dies with four in the overall tally. The big winner in this category, however, is probably boutique music theatre company Magnormos, which was recognised with two awards and a special certificate award for Outstanding Support for New Australian Musical Theatre.

Pictured top - Ganesh Versus the Third Reich. Photographer: Jeff Busby.

The Winners

Alternative & Hybrid

Outstanding Production: Taxi (D & Associates / Big West Festival)

Conceptual Realisation: At the Sans Hotel (Nicola Gunn / La Mama)

Ensemble Performance: Ganesh Versus the Third Reich (Back to Back Theatre / Malthouse Theatre / Melbourne Festival)

Design Integration: Special (The Rabble / La Mama)

Mise-en-Scene: Taxi (D & Associates / Best West Festival)

Cabaret

Outstanding Production: Little Match Girl (Malthouse Theatre in association with Meow Meow Revolution)

Artiste: Meow Meow, Little Match Girl (Malthouse Theatre in association with Meow Meow Revolution)

Musical Direction: Iain Grandage, Little Match Girl (Malthouse Theatre in association with Meow Meow Revolution)

Original Songs: Geraldine Quinn, You’re the Voice: Songs for the Ordinary by an Anthemaniac &The Last Gig in Melbourne (Geraldine Quinn)

Director: Marion Potts, Little Match Girl (Malthouse Theatre in association with Meow Meow Revolution)

Contribution to Cabaret: Finucane & Smith

Image - Meow Meow - Photographer: Jeff Busby

Dance

Betty Pounder Award for Choreography: Gideon Obarzanek, Assembly (Chunky Move / Victorian Opera, presented by Melbourne Festival in association with Sydney Festival & Brisbane Festival)

Design: Toni Maticevski (Costumes), Richard Nylon (Millinery), Matthew Bird (Nest Design & Backdrop), Gavin Brown (Curtain Design) & Benjamin Cisterne (Lighting), Aviary (Phillip Adams BalletLab in association with Melbourne Festival)

Sound and Music Composition and/or Performance: TIE BETWEEN:
Cast of Assembly (Live Performance), Assembly (Chunky Move / Victorian Opera presented by Melbourne Festival in association with Sydney Festival & Brisbane Festival)
AND
Soloists and Victorian Opera Chorus & Orchestra Victoria (Live Performance), Requiem (The Australian Ballet)

Male Dancer: Luke George, Body of Work (Luke George / Jo Lloyd / Phillip Adams BalletLab in association with Melbourne Festival)

Female Dancer: Kirsty Martin, The Merry Widow (The Australian Ballet)

Ensemble: Concerto (The Australian Ballet)

Concept & Realisation: Becky, Jodi & John (Becky Hilton, Jodi Melnick & John Jesperse / John Jesperse Company and Dancehouse)

Music Theatre

Direction: Kristin Hanggi, Rock of Ages

Design: Gabriella Tylesova (Costumes & Set), Love Never Dies

Lighting: Nick Schlieper, Love Never Dies

Sound: TIE BETWEEN:
Peter Hylenski, Rock of Ages
AND
Mick Potter, Love Never Dies

Choreography: Kelly Devine, Rock of Ages

Musical Direction: Guy Simpson, Love Never Dies

Female Artist Leading Role: Pamela Rabe, Grey Gardens

Male Artist Leading Role: Brent Hill, Rock of Ages

Ensemble or Full Ensemble Performance: TIE BETWEEN:
The Ensemble, Rock of Ages
AND
The Cast of Flower Children

Male Artist Featured Role: Matt Hetherington, Next to Normal

Female Artist Featured Role: Emma Jones, The Hatpin

Certificate Award (not in the program/not a trophy):
Outstanding Support for New Australian Musical Theatre: Magnormos

Image: Rock of Ages - Photographer: Jeff Busby

Opera

Direction: Bruce Beresford, Of Mice and Men (Opera Australia)

Production: Of Mice and Men (Opera Australia)

Conductor: Tom Woods, Of Mice and Men (Opera Australia)

Principal Male: Anthony Dean Griffey (Lennie Small), Of Mice and Men (Opera Australia)

Principal Female: Jacqueline Dark (Donna Elvira), Don Giovanni (Opera Australia)

Supporting Male: Bradley Daley (Curley), Of Mice and Men (Opera Australia)

Supporting Female: Suzanne Johnston (Mrs Herring), Albert Herring (Victorian Opera)

Certificate Award (not in the program/not a trophy):
Ongoing Standard of Excellence: Orchestra Victoria

Anthony Dean Griffey (Lennie) and Barry Ryan (George) in Of Mice and Men. Photographer: Branco Gaica

Theatre (Companies)

Lighting: Nick Schlieper, Baal (Malthouse Theatre / Sydney Theatre Company)

Set/Costume: Anna Cordingley, Body of Work

Sound/Composition: Iain Grandage, Body of Work

Female Actor: Zahra Newman (Performer), Random (Real TV / Melbourne Theatre Company / Brisbane Powerhouse / Sydney Opera House)

Male Actor: Robert Menzies (Performer), The End (Malthouse Theatre / Belvoir)

Direction: Bruce Gladwin, Ganesh Versus the Third Reich (Back to Back Theatre / Malthouse Theatre / Melbourne Festival)

Production: Ganesh Versus the Third Reich (Back to Back Theatre / Malthouse Theatre / Melbourne Festival)

Theatre (Independent)

Male Performer: Ben Grant (Alfie) Save for Crying (doubletap / La Mama)

Female Performer: Marta Kaczmarek (Masha), Cafe Scheherazade (fortyfivedownstairs)

Ensemble: After all this (Elbow Room / Melbourne Fringe - Dear Patti Smith)

Design: Sebastian Peters Lazaro & Ellen Strasser (Set Design & Construction), Undine (Four Larks)

Lighting Design: Richard Vabre, Small Odysseys (Rawcus / Arts House)

Sound/Composition: Mat Diafos Sweeney (Music Composition & Direction), Undine (Four Larks)

Direction:

TIE BETWEEN:
Marcel Dorney, After all this (Elbow Room / Melbourne Fringe /-Dear Patti Smith)
AND
Laurence Strangio, Six Characters in Search of an Author... (La Mama)

Production: Save for Crying (doubletap / La Mama)

Image: Leroy Parsons, Peta Brady and Ben Grant from Save For Crying

Association Awards

Lifetime Achievement Award: Playwright John Romeril -  presented by Max Gillies, Pram Factory colleague and friend.

Technical Achievement Award: Posthumously awarded to Technician, Production/Stage Manager, Designer and Teacher Dori Dragon-Bicchierai (many techs were in attendance recognising Dori's enormous contribution to both commercial/mainstream and fringe/independent theatre in Melbourne over a number of decades).

New Writing for the Australian Stage: Angus Cerini, Save for Crying (doubletap / La Mama)

Certificate Awards (not in the program/not a trophy):
Outstanding Contribution to the Melbourne Stage: Anna McCrossin-Owen AND Debbie Phyland

Outstanding Contribution to the Melbourne Stage: Nigel Poulton (fight choreographer)

Full nominations list - http://www.stagewhispers.com.au/news/2011-green-room-awards-nominations-announced